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The Reactions to the September 11 attacks
included condemnation from world leaders, other political and
religious representatives and the international media, as well as
numerous memorials and services all over the world.
The attacks were denounced by the governments of countries
traditionally considered hostile to the United States, such as Cuba, Iran, Libya and North Korea. However in some cases
celebrations of the attacks were also reported, and some groups and
individuals accused the United States in effect of bringing the
attacks on itself.

United
States

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the Bush
administration declared a war on terrorism, with the stated
goals of bringing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to justice and preventing the
emergence of other terrorist networks. These goals would be
accomplished by means including economic and military sanctions
against states perceived as harboring terrorists and increasing
global surveillance and intelligence sharing. Immediately after the
September 11 attacks US officials[4]
speculated on possible
involvement by Saddam Hussein; although unfounded, the
association contributed to public acceptance for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The
second-biggest operation of the US Global War on Terrorism outside
of the United States, and the largest directly connected to
terrorism, was the overthrow of the Taliban rule from Afghanistan, by a US-led coalition.

American Muslims utterly condemn the vicious and cowardly acts
of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans
in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the
perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such
immoral acts.

Western
world

After the attacks many governments and organizations in the West
expressed shock and sympathy, and were supportive of burgeoning
efforts to combat terrorism. Among them:

NATO held an emergency meeting
of the alliance's ambassadors in Brussels. The secretary general,
Lord
Robertson, promised the United States that it could rely on its
allies in North America and Europe for assistance and support, and
pledged that those responsible would not get away with it.[8]

European foreign ministers scheduled a rare emergency meeting
the next day of the attacks to discuss a joint response, as
officials expressed solidarity with the United States. The external
relations commissioner, Chris Patten, called the attacks the
work of a madman.[8]

British security forces across the world were placed on maximum
alert. Prime Minister Tony
Blair pledged that Britain would stand full square
alongside the US in the battle against terrorism. Queen Elizabeth
expressed growing disbelief and total shock.[8] In
London, the US national anthem was played at the Changing of the
Guard at Buckingham Palace. However the BBC apologised after an edition of its
political panel programme Question Time, held two days
after the attacks, saw the US ambassador to the UK Philip Lader face
hostile criticism of US foreign policy from audience members.[9]

In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder described the attacks
as a declaration of war against the civilized world.
Authorities urged Frankfurt, the country's financial capital, to
close all its major skyscrapers. The new Jewish museum in Berlin
canceled its public opening.[8] In
Berlin, 200,000 Germans marched to show their solidarity with
America.

The French newspaper of record, Le Monde, ran a front-page headline
reading "Nous sommes tous Américains", or "We are all
Americans".

In 2003, New Zealand began administering a "Pacific Security
Fund" to vulnerable nations in the Pacific region aiming at
securing and preventing terrorism from entering the region, there
is an annual fund of NZD$3 million that is paid by the New
Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and is used to provide
support to Pacific Island countries.[12]

United
Nations

In the following day of the attacks, the Security Council
members condemned the terrorist attacks on the United States and
adopted resolution 1368 (2001), by which they expressed readiness
to take all necessary steps to respond to the attacks of September
11 and to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with their
Charter responsibilities. [13]

Then-Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan, said: We are all traumatized
by this terrible tragedy.[8]

Islamic
world

Reactions to the attacks in the Muslim world were mixed. Most
Muslim political and religious leaders condemned the attacks. The
leaders included the Presidents of Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian
Authority, Libya, Syria, Iran and Pakistan.[5][14] The
then-president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein,
said of the attacks that "the American cowboys are reaping the
fruit of their crimes against humanity".[15]
Saddam would later offer sympathy to the Americans killed in the
attacks.[16]

Renowned Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the
attacks and the killings of hundreds of civilians as a "heinous
crime" and urged Muslims to donate blood to the victims. He did
however criticise the United States' "biased policy towards Israel"
and also called on Muslims to "concentrate on facing the occupying
enemy directly", inside the Palestinian territories.[17]

Ahmed Yassin,
the spiritual leader of Hamas --
a Palestinian Islamist[18]
movement responsible for carrying out a series of suicide bombings
in Israel and which has been officially designated as a terrorist
organization by Canada,[19]Israel,[20]
Japan,[21] and
the United States,[22]
--, said he was not interested in exporting such attacks to the
United States, however he criticized the "unfair American
position".[23]

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers condemned the attacks and rejected
suggestions that Osama bin Laden, who had been given
asylum in Afghanistan, could be behind them.[23]

Reports and images of Palestinians from East Jerusalem,
Nablus, and Lebanon taking to the streets in celebration, were
broadcast around the world.[23]
with many newspapers, magazines, Web sites and wire services
running photographs.[26][27]
The PNA claimed such celebrations were not representative of the
sentiments of the Palestinian people, and the
Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo
said the PNA would not allow "a few kids" to "smear the real face
of the Palestinians". In an attempt to quash further reporting,
Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Arafat's Cabinet secretary, said the
Palestinian Authority could not "guarantee the life" of an Associated
Press (AP) cameraman if footage he filmed of post-9/11
celebrations in Nablus was broadcast. Rahman's statement prompted a
formal protest from the AP bureau chief, Dan Perry.[28][27]

Annette Krüger Spitta of the ARD's (German public broadcasting) TV
magazine Panorama states that footage not aired shows that
the street surrounding the celebration in Jerusalem is quiet.
Furthermore, she states that a man in a white T-shirt incited the
children and gathered people together for the shot. The
Panorama report, dated September 20, 2001, quotes
Communications Professor Martin Löffelholz explaining that in the
images one sees jubilant Palestinian children and several adults
but there is no indication that their pleasure is related to the
attack. The woman seen cheering (Nawal Abdel Fatah) stated
afterwards that she was offered cake if she celebrated on camera,
and was frightened when she saw the pictures on television
afterward.[29]

There was also rumour that the footage of some Palestinians
celebrating the attacks was stock footage of Palestinian reactions
to the Iraqiinvasion of
Kuwait in 1990.[30]
This rumour was proven false shortly afterwards,[31] and
CNN issued a statement to
that effect.[32]

India declared high alert across most of its major cities and
conveyed "deepest sympathies" to the US and condemned the
attacks.[34]

Mexico increased its security, causing enormous traffic jams at
the United States border and officials said they were considering
closing the entire border. President Vicente Fox expressed "solidarity and our
most profound condolences".[8]

The Cuban government expressed
its pain and solidarity with its longtime adversary and offered air
and medical facilities to help.[8]

Chinese President Jiang Zemin said he was "shocked" and sent
his condolences to President Bush, while the Foreign Ministry said
China opposed all manner of terrorism.[8]

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed "great
anger" and said that "these acts of terrorism should not be
forgiven." Special security precautions were ordered at all United
States military installations.[8]

Russia put troops on alert. President Vladimir Putin held an emergency meeting
of security officials and said he supported a tough response to
these "barbaric acts".[8]